Reckoning: Chapter 46
by Michelle.Lee.PDX
Summary: Finally Graves and Dru have a moment alone. Will one of them have the courage to say what he/she really feels? Plus a new evil force threatens Dru's life and possibly the people she loves. Read on if you are a fan of Graves or Christophe.


"Okay, I'm listening. What?" I tried not to sound overexcited._  
_

He fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair next to the bed. His right ankle crossed onto his left knee. "As much as I want to be here, I have to go back and finish what I started in Asia. I can't stay yet, kid."

_Are you friggin' kidding me?_ "What! Why?" I sat up in the bed to face him.

Graves cringed a little at my volume. "Dru, I came here because I knew you were in trouble. I don't know how I knew. I just did. I dropped everything to get here. It's not like I left with anyone's blessing either. They'll be hell to pay when I get back."

"But, you can't leave already. You just got here, for God's sake!" My voice was starting to waver.

"I can't explain it all the way. I just need you to trust me, will ya? I have a lot of people depending on me right now and it wouldn't be right not to go back and finish my training. We're not kids no more."

I started well up but turned toward the opposite wall to distract myself from becoming a cry baby. "Especially after what happened today, can't you see that I need…" I stopped mid-sentence, not sure of myself.

He pursued my thought. "You need what, Dru?"

"I… I want you to know that it's hard on us when you're away. We all miss you." _I miss you._

Graves sighed deeply. "Dru, did you read my letters? He reached out his hand and laid it on top of mine.

"Yeah." I spoke in an angry tone and still didn't look him in the eyes.

"So... what did you think? Good, bad, meh?" I could hear a smile in his voice.

I turned to my left and looked at him finally. "Meh."

There was a moment of silence. "You're such a bitch. And I thought Anna had that one in the bag already." He gave me a sideways smile.

I opened my eyes wider as my mouth dropped open. I almost laughed. "You are an asshole, you know that?" I looked around for something soft to throw at him but everything within reach was too solid. _Would it hurt if I threw that metal barf bowl?_

We finally settled down and just looked at each other in silence. Graves awkwardly switched topics. "Hey, so what's up between you and Mr. Wonderful?" The sarcasm was heavy and the moment got serious quickly.

I coughed out of discomfort. "Well, do you want the truth or the _truth_?"

"Uh oh. What does that mean?" Graves' voice dropped deeper. "Wait, did you and he… you know?"

"Me know... what?" My eyes stretched bigger with the realization of what he was asking. "You mean… _it_?"

"Yeah_ it_! Do I have to spell it out for Christ's sake?" His hands flew up in the air as he talked. He was getting angrier and his gestures were getting more expressive.

I pushed him harder. "Would you be upset if we did?"

He leaned forward in the chair. "Oh no you don't, Miss Anderson. It's not about me. I asked you first. Are you and him… together?"

I hesitated for a millisecond. Graves looked like he was going to leave. "Wait, will you? The answer is no… I think."

"You think? It shouldn't be that gray, Dru. Are you guys going out, like dating, having a relationship… doing stuff?"

"Cool down, okay. Honest, we're not steady, Graves, and we did not... do _it_." _He didn't need to know that we made out a few times, and that I liked it. "_But the reality is the longer he and I are alone, his chances get better. He's changed a lot since you left the _schola_. He's been giving me space lately." _Jealous yet, Edgar?_

Graves stood up and started pacing the length of the room with his head down and hands in his pockets. He was noticeably irritated but not angry enough to skin change. _I really shouldn't make him upset today, after all he did save my life. _ "Say something, Graves. Please."

He stopped moving and stood with his legs wide, hands behind and leaned back against the wall. The trench draped gracefully around his long limbs. "I don't like it and I don't like him. He's not right for you, Dru. There's a thousand reasons he's not your type." He looked down at the floor while making a few huffing sounds.

"Okay. Then what is my type, Graves?" I stared at his tall, muscular body and noticed that he was quite different now. He emanated a confidence that I'd not seen in him since he walked the halls of the Reform _schola. _There he led the pack and his girl down a crowded hallway. Students made way for him, just because. Today he looked, and smelled, enticing.

Graves looked up at the ceiling. "Dru, you deserve someone that appreciates you for who you are. Not just because you're _svetocha_, or Maharaja, or beautiful, or smart... or funny."

"O-K." _Wow. Was that a compliment?_

He looked at his heavy leather strapped watch. His voice dropped to quieter tone. "I have to go now, Dru."

I felt hot and incomplete. "You mean, back to Asia?" It wasn't really a question. "Fine… go."

Graves walked to the door of the room. He reached for the doorknob then turned to look me in the eyes. "I just want you to know, you deserve better, Dru." Then he opened the door and walked out. The sound of his trench echoed his departure.

Two days later, I was released from the infirmary with Dibs' blessing. My leg had healed considerably but the muscle and skin was still deformed. It would probably take a few weeks to totally heal and look untouched again. _Thank God Christophe's blood is potent and so effective._

I was still not sure how to feel about the vision I saw of the fight between him and Mom and Dad when he transfused me. His bullyish behavior freaked me out. At the same time being in his head made me understand him a bit more. Sometimes I wish he would just tell me about the past in his own words instead of through _bloodletting_. Either way it's a connection with him I find valuable.

The _schola_ was starting to come together again and repairs were being made rapidly to re-secure the walls of the Prima. There were so many questions about the attack left unanswered. Where did the Revenants come from? How did the burning dog get inside? What did Christophe know about the _wampire_'s latest plans? Was my life in serious jeopardy again?

Because of the chaos, the Order still had not convened to discuss what occurred so I went in search of Christophe. He was harder to locate than I thought. I spent about an hour combing the grounds while the sunrise raised over the eastern horizon. I finally found him directing the _wulfen_ and _djamphire_ students around on the north side of the grounds, where the fences had been trenched under. There were huge ditches of exposed gating, where I assume the creepy things got through. Shanks was working at the perimeter as well.

As soon as Christophe saw me wandering around without an escort, he approached. "_Kochana,_ you should not be outside so soon. Why are you walking around? It's not safe yet, either."

"It's daylight now, Christophe. Plus I need to talk with you ASAP." I stood with my hands on my hips in a defiant mood.

He sighed deeply. His breath was visible in the air. It was still cold out even though it was April and the snow had melted months ago. "I supposed you need answers regarding what happened."

"Yeah, that would be swell." I was a little snarky. After all I almost got my leg chewed off and was still raw from that experience. I continued without caring that Shanks and other students were present. "You seem to know more than you've been telling. Why? What the hell is going on with the suckers? And where did all those zombies come from?" I shuddered at the thought that those creatures were once human beings who had jobs, homes, families, daughters…

"Dru, I don't mean to put you off however can we talk about this in private, after I'm done here? I've got a few more hours of tasks to do. Now is not the time for talking. I promise I will come find you after I'm done, _milna_." I huffed. _Fine._

Shanks was pretending like he wasn't listening. He continued shoveling dirt and moving heavy metal poles around. He was always looking out for my best interests as one of my unofficial guardsmen. He and Dibs have been at my side since we were assigned to the reform _schola_ after my life got turned upside down. I owed them my life. The only one still missing from our original foursome was Graves. _I wonder where he is right now? He was vague about his whereabouts so I have no idea where in Asia he is. I only hope that he won't stay mad at me for long. I was a bit childish but can you blame me?__ His ass left me, again._

I wanted to stomp away from the scene like a child, but I knew that was unbecoming at this point. Only a self-centered, drama queen would put her needs above the safety of others. We've already had one too many _svetocha_ like that. I'm sure the Order could live a thousand years without that kind of attitude again.

Christophe was a private person most of the time and was often hard to understand. However he has his reasons for everything. His judgment is sound, except when it comes to issues of women, especially _svetocha_. So I left the north side and made my way to my room. It had been several days since I'd been there and I was dying for a shower. My hair was still tangled and had not been brushed through for a while. I smelled something rank. _Yup, it's me._

I relished the fact that I was alone for once. All the guards were busy with securing the grounds. It was nice to walk around without anyone following me like my shadow. I found myself humming as I moved down the hallway and into my suite. I slipped inside and breathed a sigh of peacefulness. I should just enjoy the silence before Nat, Benjamin or Christophe intrudes on the moment.

In my private bathroom I undressed and looked at my battle-scarred body in the full mirror. The ugly gash on my right quad from the dog bite was huge and bumpy looking. It was reddish purple in color now but hopefully it would lighten up over the next few days. I turned and looked at the blackened skin on my left side of my abdomen. That was where the Hell Hound rammed into me when the _touch_ sent me a vision. _Holy crap, the _touch_ showed me a vision. _It was of two children playing in a garden. Who were they and why would I flash at the same moment that the Hound looked at me? I have so many questions.

My body was in good shape aside from the war wounds. I was pleased by the way it felt and moved as I extended my arms and hinged forward to touch the ground. My flexibility wasn't bad considering I had long hamstrings. The months and years of hard workouts from running, _krav maga_ sparring, _malaika_ practice and even tai chi had done good.

I hopped into the shower and embraced the idea of washing off the residue from the extremes I had experienced in the past few days. I had gone from happiness to fear for my life, gratefulness of surviving to the sadness of losing Graves, again. The emotions laid heavily into me and I was damn tired. I just wanted to sleep in my own bed again.

I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me and squeezing the water from my long hair. It had grown so long that it was nearly down to the middle of my back again. The steam from the shower fogged up the mirror so I used my bath towel to wipe it clear. I suddenly tasted faux-orange candy on my tongue and a shiver ran down my unclothed body.

With a slow swipe of the glass, a dark shadow appeared behind me. _What the hell?_ It was hovering above the ground like a _djamphire_. The figure was dark and opaque. I could see right through it to the wall behind. The thing had a humanoid form, but a slivery-shaped one. It had claws on its hands like a sucker. It raised its head and the eyes looked into mine. They were freakishly aqua blue and artificial looking, just like a doll. Fangs extended from its mouth. Its dark hair fell in stringy, dreaded wisps around its face. It looked like a female type of thing but I wasn't sure.

I was petrified as I stood there feeling cold wet hair dripping down my back. The thing raised its right hand and wiggled its _anamika_ finger in the air as if it was skywriting. At the same time, I felt a scorching pain on the surface of my lower back. I tried to scream out but no voice came. It felt like the thing was cutting into me with a scalpel. The torturing lasted nearly twenty seconds, the longest of my life. Finally, the carving sensation stopped as the thing slowly brought one clawed finger up to its lips. "Shhhh."

My eyes were wide with fear and silent tears rolled down my face. _Oh my God! What is it and what did it do to my body? Somebody please help me!_ Finally, the thing blinked its aqua blue eyes. It dissipated into the steam. I was alone again and I didn't want to be alone ever again.

I was released from the frozen state and my legs crumpled as I flopped into fetal position on the cold porcelain floor. The sobs kept coming out of me in an uncontrollable way. I was so scared I didn't know how to bring myself back from the brink. That thing with the doll eyes and stringy hair sought me out and found me here in my room, my own space. _ But why did it come here? What was it? What did I ever do to it? _

I don't know how long I laid on the floor, naked, bloody and curled into a ball. Finally, I heard the door open and familiar footsteps approached the bathroom. I looked up through blurred vision to try to see who it was.

"Dru? What are you doing on the…. oh my God." She stared at my messy body hunkered down on the white tile. "It's gonna be okay, sweetie. I'll be right back. Just got to get some help."

"Nat! Please don't go. Don't leave me!" I screeched and pleaded in terror and desperation.

"Okay, okay honey, I won't leave. The guys are right outside. Let me just make a call then." I heard Nat talking to someone on her cell. "Hey, can you come in? I'm in Dru's bathroom. Bring the kit. Get Reynard too, okay?

"Help is coming, Dru." Before Nat had a chance to find a dry towel or throw my robe over me I heard the sound of more boots on carpet. I still didn't look up.

"Oh shit!" What is that?" Shanks' voice was loud and sounded freaked out.

"Shut up, man. You're so insensitive sometimes." Dibs reprimanded his buddy.

Finally Christophe's voice added to the mix. "Out of the way boys." He had my blanket in his arms and swept in to cover me with it. He scooped up my body and carried me over to the bed. Wet hair and blood soaking the fabric.

"I have you now, _milna_. Everything is going to be fine. You are safe. I promise." Christophe whispered into my ear as I stared into space, not recognizing who was with me. I had no concept of time or awareness at that moment. My mind was somewhere else, stuck with the picture of those aqua blue, doll eyes.

Dibs nudged his way in and gently pulled at the blanket to take a look at my wounds, which were coated with half-dried blood. He used antiseptic and cotton swabs to wipe the surface clean. I was so outside my body, I didn't even flinch. As Dibs took care of my body, he noticed that there was something unusual about the scratches. "What in the world?" The scratches were not random but intentionally formed a pattern. The pattern looked like written characters, more precisely letters.

Christophe repositioned himself to look over my hip at the exposed skin. He was silent and then muttered in French. "Mon Dieu."

Nat had been running her fingers through my hair to soothe and detangle the mass of curls. She also adjusted her angle to view the letters on my back. "What does Z-E-M-S-T-A mean?"

In a whisper, Christophe translated. "It means… _vengeance_."

It took nearly an hour for me to come back from wherever I had been mentally. I found myself tucked into bed, wearing undergarments and a t-shirt. I felt the stiffness in my back and the sensation of surgical tape adhered to my skin. I gazed upward at the canopy above my bed and felt disoriented. _What time is it?_

I looked around the room to regain my bearings. Everything looked normal. The light was dim and I thought it might be dusk because it was quiet, too quiet for my liking. _"Shhh."_ The sound of the doll-eyed thing echoed in my head. My heart started pounding rapidly and I could feel its beat pressing against my rib bones as if it was trying to escape. _Thump thump._ My breathing came faster and shallower and I began sweating. I was in a panic. "Christophe! Where are you?"

The door of my room opened with rapid speed. A comforting scent embraced me. The _djamphire _was at the side of my bed and then laid down next to me. "It's okay, _moj maly ptaszku_. I'm here." I looked into his blue eyes. "Take a deep breath, then blow it out slowly. Let the breath calm you. It's okay, Dru."

He ran his fingers through my hair, again and again. I just kept looking in his eyes and inhaling the smell of warm apple pie. Finally I was able to talk. "Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now."

"I won't leave if you don't want me too, _kochana_. His fingers stroked my face gently. I was suddenly aware of a deeper feeling inside that wanted him to kiss me. But how could I ask him to especially since I knew that Graves cared, at least seemed to care. I didn't say a word but my eyes spoke honestly and they wanted him to kiss me. He smiled.

Christophe leaned in and lightly touched his lips to my forehead. Then he moved to my cheeks, my chin and finally to my lips, in a very gentle way. It wasn't a passionate kiss, however it was something important. It was what I needed and he knew it. When he released me it seemed like we were in slow motion. He was so close that our foreheads almost touched. "Even if it costs my last breath, I won't let her touch you again."

The next morning at dawn, I opened my eyes and tried to remember what happened the night before. I didn't even remember falling asleep. I rubbed my eyes and stretched out. I raised my head and blinked at the sun coming up through my window. I caught a view of Nat sleeping in a curled up position on the loveseat. _It's a good thing she's petite. I'd never make it there all night. _Christophe was slumped in a chair next to the bed with his bare feet resting on the mattress. He looked kind of uncomfortable but I knew that was his favorite position for multitasking, which included resting his eyes while standing guard. I'd seen him like that probably a hundred times.

I had to pee really badly but something told me that I should wait. It wasn't the _touch_ or my owl in aspect form or any other special powers. It was just plain fear. The last time I was in the bathroom something bad happened, something so bad that I didn't want to remember. _"Shhh." _The sound echoed in my head and a chill ran down my spine. I shook it off and focused on the _Kourio_ perched near me.

I reached over and pulled on Christophe's toes. "Yes, _kochana_?" He was not asleep even though he looked it. _I know him so well. _He still didn't look at me and kept his eyes closed when he spoke.

"I have to pee but I'm afraid to go in there." His eyes opened and his chin lifted to look at me. He cleared his throat. "Do you want me to hold your hand?" _Was he being serious? _

"No. That's gross, and weird. Maybe I'll wait until Nat wakes up. She'll know what to do." I peered over at the sitting area to see if there was a sign of life but there was only the rhythmic breathing of a sleeping _wulfen_.

Christophe was polite. "It's your call, Milady."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Christophe, I need to know what you know. Will you tell me who _she_ is?"

He paused and then sat up in the chair, placing his feet on the edge of the mattress. His knees were bent and he leaned forward a bit. "I don't think there is an easy way to explain it, so I will just tell you plainly. She is _svetocha…_ and my sister."

**Readers: Can you believe that Christophe has been keeping his svetocha sister a secret from everyone? How big of a threat will she pose to Dru and the Order? Has Graves changed into the man that he promised he would be for Dru? **


End file.
